


Valentine's Fae

by gingerlegend



Series: "Whitechapel Clan" [2]
Category: My Babysitter's A Vampire
Genre: M/M, aro-acespec OCs, jewish OCs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:54:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22667344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingerlegend/pseuds/gingerlegend
Summary: This is a Valentine's Day Bethan fic. Another idea of how they'd get together officially, since I really like writing that sort of thing. I'm gonna try to follow a similar structure to episodes of the show, which means there will definitely be some supernatural happenings. It'll feature two of my OCs that I absolutely adore, and I'm excited to put them out here.I'm hoping to get this done before the end of this month, but honestly it's whatever if I don't.
Relationships: Ethan Morgan/Benny Weir
Series: "Whitechapel Clan" [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1739326
Comments: 17
Kudos: 31





	1. Nerds (but not the trademarked kind)

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is exposition. My OCs won't appear until the third chapter, but I have chapter 2 almost completely written. I just need to finalize one or two things.

"Do you think this one would be good?" Ethan asked, picking up a small box of chocolates and showing Sarah.

She shook her head. "You have to get something that can be shared. You want to make Valentine's Day special, don't you?"

Ethan put the box back on the shelf. "I don't think that's possible."

Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Oh, dude, that one is perfect!" Rory said, grabbing three boxes of assorted chocolates.

"Rory, I don't need to get three boxes for tomorrow," Benny said.

"I know. Two of them are for me. I've been trying to love myself more, so I'm my own valentine."

"But why two boxes?"

"So I can give AND receive!"

Benny couldn't argue with that logic.

"Ethan, come on," Sarah said, grabbing Ethan's hand and pulling him away from the shelves. "I've got homework to finish. If you take any longer, I'm not going to drive you home."

"Hold on, I see the one I want to get."

He reached up to the top of the shelf to take a box that was definitely not shaped like a heart. Sarah only saw it from the back, but it was definitely shaped like a hexagon. She didn't ask for clarification. It was probably some nerd thing.

Benny handed the cashier 10 dollars, accepted the pile of change, and started to leave.

"Dude, Ethan and Sarah are here!" Rory said, and Benny froze.

Ethan and Sarah didn't seem to notice them. Sarah and Ethan were holding hands.

_ Didn't they decide not to date?  _ Benny thought.

_ What the heck? _

He stormed out before Rory could stop him. Rory ran after him.

"Was that Rory who sprinted out the door just now?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know, but it IS something he'd do."

Sarah smiled wryly as Ethan paid the cashier. "It really is."


	2. Dum Dums (But There's Really Only One and It's Benny)

Benny's cell phone rang, playing a song from the first  _ Knights of Ninjitsu _ game. That was the custom ringtone he'd set for Ethan. He didn't answer. He got a text. He didn't check it.

The house phone rang. Then it stopped ringing. Benny's grandma came into his bedroom.

"Benny, is your cell phone on? Ethan said he's been trying to reach you."

Benny scrambled for an excuse. "I… guess I didn't notice."

"Well, call him back. He's worried about you."

"Okay, grandma. I'll call him," Benny said.

"If you're upset at him, you should try to resolve things. I know he's important to you."

Benny wasn't sure how much his grandma had figured out about that.

His cell phone rang, playing the ringtone he'd set for Rory— a song by Single Tear that Rory torrented for him. He answer the call.

"Hi, Benny! It was totally my idea to call you and Ethan is definitely not here." Rory said. "Um. How are you?"

"Just hand me the phone, Rory," Ethan said a bit distantly.

"Oh, okay."

"Why are you ignoring my calls and texts? And why aren't you online on Chat Buddy?"

"Why would you care?" Benny asked a bit too harshly.

"Why  _ wouldn't  _ I care? Are we still on for tomorrow night?"

"Oh, so you suddenly don't have other plans?"

"When did I have other plans?"

"Wait, I think I figured out why he's mad at you!" Rory exclaimed.

"Benny, are you going to tell me or are we going to hear what Rory thinks?"

Benny didn't say anything.

"Rory?" Ethan said. "Why do you think he's upset?"

"Benny and I were at the store when you and Sarah were there. I think he's jealous."

"Benny. Is that accurate?"

"Maybe," Benny grumbled.

"She was my ride, Benny. She was helping me pick out something for Valentine's day."

"... Oh."

"Well, I'll see you then."

Benny mumbled a quick "yeah" before hanging up.

God, he felt like an idiot!

"So you're still gonna ask him out officially tomorrow?" Rory asked Ethan.

"Should I take his jealousy as a sign that he feels the same way."

"Oh, come on, he's literally in love with you. And you're in love with him. It's  _ obvious _ ."

If Rory thought it was obvious, then Ethan couldn't deny it. Rory wasn't usually all that perceptive, but when it came to Ethan or Benny, he was generally the first to figure out what they were feeling.

Maybe there was no need to ask him out officially. No, there was definitely a need. Ethan needed to be absolutely sure that they were serious. That he wasn't misunderstanding things.

Cuddling wasn't necessarily dating. They'd cuddled on occasion since they were in middle school.

So he needed to know for sure. What better day to figure out than Valentine's Day, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to re-watch a few episodes before I could finish writing this chapter. Had to watch the beginning of Guys and Dolls, the episode with Debbie Dazzle, so I could namedrop the video game from the first scene. I watched part of DiePod so I could namedrop Single Tear, the band Rory and Erica both like. And I watched Blue Moon to see what chatting service they use. It's a really shitty excuse for a fake website tho. Almost looks like a bad graphic design project.


	3. Truffles (But Actually These Are Pretty Different From Either Meaning of the Word)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, it's not valentine's day anymore. Updates to this story will be more sporadic than I was hoping, but I'm going to finish this, even if it somehow takes me till next Valentine's day.  
> Anyway, I had to research fairy rings for this chapter, and apparently there are very specific types of fungi that the phenomenon occurs with, and truffles aren't included in the type. Ah well, i really don't care how accurate the title is.

Rory managed to convince Ethan and Benny to let his hang out with them until night. He wanted to show them something he found while hunting rats the previous night.

"I don't even mind being a third wheel!" he'd promised them, and they couldn't talk him out of it. Not that they tried all that hard.

He led them through the forest until they reached a clearing that none of them had known was there before.

At the center of the clearing, there was a circle of fungi.

"Isn't that so weird?" Rory exclaimed as the three drew closer. "It's like something out of a video game!"

Benny grinned. "It's gotta be magical, right? I should take a few for grandma's potions."

He kneeled down and reached for one of the larger mushrooms.

"Wait, Benny—" Ethan exclaimed, but Benny already plucked the mushroom.

Rory shrugged and grabbed a small one.

"Guys, haven't you heard of fairy rings?" Ethan asked.

"Is that some sort of jewelry?" Benny said with a chuckle.

"I don't remember all that much about them, but you're  _ not  _ supposed to disturb them."

"Well, the damage is done. You wanna grab one too?"

"Maybe we can put it back…" Ethan said, grabbing the mushroom that Benny held.

_ The fairy ring, disturbed. Three silhouettes loomed in the distance. _

_ Then they were in broad daylight, standing in the middle of the street. _

_ A man, a boy, and a girl. _

_ Were they family? They sure looked like it. _

_ The boy's hair was blue, but the girl and the man had ginger hair. _

_ The three of them seemed pretty harmless, but something was off. _

_ There was a house a few blocks from Benny's. _

_ It had been abandoned for years, but for some reason it seemed brand new. _

_ Suddenly the barren trees sprouted leaves, vibrant and green. _

_ The boy sat beneath one, reading a book. _

_ The grass beneath him was dying. _

_ It was rotting away. Quickly. _

_ The boy noticed suddenly, but instead of getting up, he just went back to reading. _

_ Then there was a flash, and the entire front lawn was covered in mushrooms of all sorts. The boy was no longer sitting beneath the tree. _

_ The girl was inside the house, barely visible through the window. _

_ It looked like she was dancing. She wasn't all that graceful. _

_ She tripped and fell. _

And then Ethan was back in the clearing.

"Benny, Rory. We have to go. Now."

Rory pouted. "But it's so cool!"

"You had a vision, didn't you?" Benny asked, all humor gone from his voice.

Ethan nodded. "A family of fae are going to come to town. My vision was… kinda vague, but I only get visions when we're in danger, right?"

Rory and Benny shrugged.

"Is this going to ruin tonight?" Benny asked in that squeaky voice he used when he was uncertain about his question.

Ethan hoped not. If he didn't get the chance to ask Benny out officially, he might never work up the courage again.

"If it does, I'll be pretty pissed off at you two," he said, hiding his nervousness behind the preemptive accusation.

As Ethan, Benny, and Rory neared the edge of woods, someone spoke. Ethan recognized that voice. It was David, the werewolf, or weredog, or whatever.

"Yo, you two are those new twins that moved here," he asked.

Ethan stopped walking and listened. Benny and Rory stopped too.

Benny shot Ethan a confused look. "What's going—"

"Shhhh," Ethan whispered. "I think the fae are already in town. 

"So the mushrooms didn't mean—"

"Shhhh!" Ethan and Benny said in unison.

"... or whatever," a boy's voice said, practically sighing in annoyance as he spoke. "Call me Jeremy."

"I go by Carly," a girl added, her tone much more cheerful than her brother's.

"Cool, cool. Name's David Stachowski. Captain of the sports teams at Whitechapel High School."

"I don't play sports," Jeremy said bluntly.

"Don't be rude, Jem," Carly hissed. "We're supposed to try and fit in."

"Well, excuse me for being an introvert," Jeremy snapped.

David grunted in surprise, followed by the sound of footsteps.

Carly laughed nervously. "I'm sorry bout my brother. He's not big on small talk. Our dad wanted us to let him unpack the boxes, so he shooed us out of the house. Jem gets sunburnt easily, so he usually sticks to the shade when he's outside."

She was going into more detail than she needed to, and David probably wasn't listening anymore.

"Uh, okay…" David said. "I'm gonna go."

After about a minute, Ethan nodded at his friends, and the three of them came out from behind the trees.

The girl was still there, staring right at them. There was a bandage on her cheek, and she wore a beanie over her red hair. Her hair covered her ears

"Eavesdropping is an invasion of privacy," she said with a tired smile. "That doesn't make a good first impression."

Benny shrugged. "Couldn't be that much worse than your brother's first impression on David."

"Actually, he introduced himself before being rude," Rory pointed out.

Ethan glanced at Benny, then at Rory, and then he turned to Carly.

"My name's Ethan," he said. "That—" he pointed at Rory "—is Rory. And this—" he put his hand on Benny's shoulder "—is Benny."

"You already heard me say it, but you can call me Carly," she said. "I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"Uh, yeah," Ethan said, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. "We heard David's voice, and he can be a little…" He looked to Benny for backup.

"Overbearing," Benny finished for him.

Carly shrugged. "I should go find where Jem got off to."

As she turned to leave, she almost tripped, but caught herself, and Ethan saw the proof he needed.

"She's definitely a fae," Ethan muttered to Benny and Rory. "Her ears are pointed."

"Like elf ears?" Rory asked.

Ethan nodded. "She doesn't seem dangerous, but we have to be careful."


	4. Hershey's Kiss (Except It Has Nothing to Do With Anyone Named Hershey, and the Kiss Almost Doesn't Happen)

Rory went off to do his own thing now that the sun had set, so Ethan and Benny were finally alone. They were at the park, just sitting on a bench and talking.  
At a lull in the conversation, Ethan got out the box of chocolates he'd gotten for Benny. He was glad it was dark enough that Benny couldn't see how red his face was.  
"Happy Valentine's Day. Be my boyfriend?"  
Benny hesitated very briefly, and in that moment, Ethan worried that Benny would turn him down, or worse, laugh at him.  
"Babe, we're already dating," Benny said, accepting the box. "That's why I was so upset when I thought you were on a date with Sarah. I thought you might be cheating on me."  
"You thought I was cheating on you?"  
"Yeah, in retrospect, you're definitely not the type of person who would do that. You don't even cheat in video games."  
"Good thing you're not into bad boys," Ethan joked, elbowing Benny slightly.  
"Can you even imagine me with a bad boy? No thank you," Benny said with a grin. "Bad girls, on the other hand…"  
His voice trailed off. He didn't really have anything else to say about that. A few seconds passed in silence, and then Benny opened the box of chocolates.  
"Nice," he said, picking up one of the chocolates with two fingers. "They're shaped like D20's!"  
"It's a bit too dark to see," Ethan said, "but each side actually has a number."  
"They're probably not practical dice," Benny said, popping one into his mouth before continuing, "but they sure taste good."  
"I was hoping to kiss you before you ate any."  
"You don't want a chocolate-flavored make out?"  
Ethan rolled his eyes. "Not particularly."  
"Your loss, babe," Benny said, popping another chocolate into his mouth.  
Ethan leaned against Benny, trying not to be weird about it. The fact that Ethan knew for sure that they were dating made small things like this feel so different.  
Benny tried to say something through a mouthful of the chocolates.  
"I understood none of that," Ethan said into Benny's shoulder.  
Benny swallowed the candy. "You aren't convincing me that you don't want a sloppy cocoa smooch."  
"Do me a favor and never say that combination of words again. You managed to make it sound even grosser."  
"Come on, you know it'll be great."  
Ethan didn't respond. He didn't want to admit that he was seriously considering Benny's suggestion. If he decided to, he'd rather catch Benny off-guard.  
That last thought was the incentive he needed to give himself. He pulled Benny's face toward him and, after giving him a chance to take a breath, kissed him.

Ethan surprised Benny with this kiss, and a surprise makeout was probably one of the best surprises Ethan could have given him. Easily in the top three surprises.  
Despite the chilly night air, Ethan's lips were warm against Benny's, and if he hadn't been thinking about kissing already, the unexpected warmth would have melted him completely.  
"You were right," Ethan admitted after pulling away. "The chocolate makeout was nice."  
Benny laughed. This was nice. If he could spend every day like this from now on, his life would be perfect.  
"You're surprisingly good at kissing," Benny said, trying to break the silence.  
" _Surprisingly?_ " Ethan repeated with mock offense.  
Benny laughed again, and Ethan's laugh seemed to harmonize with his.  
 _Better not say that out loud, _he thought wryly. _Ethan would never let me forget saying a cheesy line like that._ He felt Ethan rest against his arm again.  
__This was a good date. It was everything Benny wanted for this Valentine's Day.


	5. Sour Patch Kids (Except only one of them is sour, and there are no "patches" involved)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy Bosch finally gets some focus.

As Benny walked Ethan home, they heard someone shout, although they didn't hear enough to tell what words were being shouted. Ethan grabbed Benny's arm instinctively.  
"Babe, it's okay," Benny said.  
"It's almost 9 PM. Whoever just screamed might have had a good reason to."  
"I'm already so sick of this town!"  
Ethan and Benny recognize this voice from earlier. It was Carly's twin.  
Then they hear Carly shout. "Why are you freaking out like this, Jem?!"  
"Oh, like you don't know!"  
Ethan tensed up as he saw someone approach, although they didn't seem to see him or Benny.  
"Hey," Benny said awkwardly, "are you okay?"  
The boy stopped walking abruptly. "That's a stupid question," he snapped.  
"Yeah," Benny agreed, "I ask a lot of those."  
"You're… Jeremy, right?" Ethan spoke carefully.  
"Ugh, does Carly really have to introduce me even when I'm not around?!" Jeremy ran his fingers through his curly blue hair as he spoke.  
Benny nudged Ethan. "Ears," he mumbled.  
Jeremy wasn't hiding _his_ ears. They were clearly pointed. In fact, he had some of his hair held back in a ponytail.  
"You're a fae, aren't you?" Ethan asked, getting right to the point.  
Jeremy raised his eyebrows, looking slightly less annoyed than before. "Most people would have asked me if I was cosplaying someone from Lord of the Rings."  
"There aren't any blue haired elves in Middle Earth lore," Benny pointed out.  
"Still, to call me out for being a fae? Takes a bit more knowledge than most people have. Even though I'm only _half_ -fae."  
"We've dealt with lots of weird stuff, believe me," Ethan said, dropping his hand from Benny's arm to hold his hand.  
"Why were you shouting?" Benny asked.  
"My least favorite day of the year. Valentine's Day."  
"Oh, you're single then?"  
*"I'm asexual," Jeremy said bitterly. "And Valentine's Day is just an excuse to sell more candy."  
"I mean, candy IS pretty great."  
"I'm not complaining about the candy," Jeremy said. "I just hate capitalism."  
"Oh, I feel that," Benny said.  
"Anyway, I'm gonna go wander around town till my dad makes me come home."  
"Wait, hold on, aren't you going to let us introduce ourselves?" Ethan asked.  
Jeremy groaned. "God, I hate small talk. Fine, go ahead. Just, uh… No middle names, okay?"  
Benny frowned. "That's a weird thing to say."  
"If a fae learns someone's full name, they gain power over the person," Ethan explained.  
"Yeah, and having power over someone is one of the most distracting things ever," Jeremy added, more impatient as the conversation dragged on.  
"It's distracting? In what way?"  
"I don't expect you to understand, but if I know someone's true name, I'll always notice them. I can't even try to ignore them."  
"But you have power over them," Benny said. "Isn't that something that you like?"  
"Um, no. The only reason most fae target people they have power over is purely out of annoyance and spite. It's not fun or anything."  
"Dang, that sounds…" Benny's voice trailed off.  
"Are you two going to introduce yourselves or not?!" Jeremy snapped.  
"I'm Ethan."  
"Name's Benny. We're kind of the experts on weird stuff in Whitechapel."  
"I really don't want to know more. I'm going to leave now, and you're going to stop bothering me forever."  
Jeremy stormed off.  
"What a ray of sunshine, am I right?" Benny said sarcastically.  
"Valentine's Day must be frustrating for him."  
"Guess he's not much of a… _Valentine's Fae_."  
When Ethan didn't react to the joke, Benny repeated it. "Valentine's… _fae_."  
"Yeah, I heard you the first time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearing the end of this story, but we're far from the end of Jeremy showing up. He's one of my favorite OCs I've made, and I am definitely going to follow up on him later. If you don't know what's going to happen with him, oh boy. And if you DO know, well, i'm sorry but it'll take a while for me to get to that.


	6. Pixie Stix (Without Any "Stix" Involved, and a Very Different Type of Fairy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rory meets Jeremy.

It was nearly midnight, but Ethan and Benny were still on their date. Neither of them were all that worried about curfew. They just wanted to canoodle a bit (Ethan rolled his eyes when Benny used that word).  
Sarah and Erica had gone to a vampire council thing, but Rory had opted to wander around all night. He just had the urge to move around. Flying, mostly, but he chased a few animals around too. A few raccoons, a couple rats, and a rabbit. Then he got bored of that, and wasn't particularly hungry, so he wandered through the forest a bit.  
That was where he overheard someone. That someone was muttering their frustrations into their cell phone. It was the blue haired boy, and he was still in a bad mood.  
Rory didn't know what he was so upset about, but maybe he'd appreciate having someone to talk to. Instead of just grumbling into his phone. Sounded like it was just him recording himself, unless he was talking to someone who didn't mind having to endure a nonstop rant.

"Hey!" Rory said. He didn't need to shout. He was loud anyway, and since blue-hair was making the only other noises he could hear, Rory knew he'd notice.  
"Who's there?!" the boy demanded, turning on his phone's flashlight.  
Rory sprinted over to the boy. "Hi, I met your sister earlier!"  
"Have you been following me?" blue-hair asked suspiciously. He didn't seem fazed by how quickly Rory approached, which was practically instantaneous.  
"No, I was just wandering, and I heard you, and you sounded upset."  
"Can't even get privacy in my own stupid fairy ring…" blue-hair mumbled to himself.  
"Oh, I didn't even notice. It's pretty dark out."  
Blue-hair shrugged. Rory studied the ground for a moment, but he couldn't make out any mushrooms.  
"So, uh, do you normally vent like that? Into your phone?" Rory asked.  
Blue-hair glared at Rory. He wasn't very intimidating, and Rory wasn't the type to be intimidated. He barely noticed in this particular instance.  
"Yeah," blue-hair said. "No one likes being around someone who's always annoyed, so I don't bother."  
Rory felt bad for blue-hair. "I have a friend who's always getting annoyed. She's really cool and pretty."  
"You sure you're not just, I dunno, in love with her?" blue-hair said with an annoyed groan.  
"I used to, but she's dating someone else and they're super happy together so I don't mind."  
Blue-hair hesitated for a moment. "You really want to listen to me rant?"  
Rory nodded. "It might make you feel better. To tell a person about it."  
Blue-hair didn't seem to react for a while. Rory realized he was seriously considering the offer.  
"Come on, everyone needs friends. There are so many movies and books about friendship being important!"  
Blue-hair laughed. Actually laughed. Rory really didn't expect that.  
"You know what, if you're dumb enough to suggest befriending an angry fae, then I don't know how to get rid of you. Last chance to change your mind…"  
"No one knows how to get rid of me. It's one of my best features. Benny sure thinks so."  
Blue-hair gave Rory a weird look. "Anyway, I'm Jeremy. I'm a fae. Think I said that already though."  
"I'm Rory! Nice to meet you!"  
Rory grinned and held out his hand for a handshake. When Jeremy shook his head, Rory dropped his arm.  
"Don't like being touched," he said, and Rory understood that. He didn't understand it personally, but he understood having uncommon pet peeves, so he wasn't offended or anything.  
"Well?" he prompted. "You were gonna vent?"  
Jeremy took a tiny step back. "Not really used to, um… talking about my feelings. Maybe… maybe another time."  
"Sure. You wanna hang out?"  
"Heh… if you're okay with It, I just wanna stay out here for awhile. Let nature be… natural or whatever, and just… sit. Quietly."  
Rory shrugged. "Okay."  
They sat for several minutes, and Rory wondered for a moment if it was past midnight yet. Rory wasn't tired, but his mom might get suspicious if he stayed out too much longer. But then he heard Jeremy gasp— not in distress or worry, but in excitement. Jeremy pointed up at the sky, and Rory looked, but nothing seemed special about it.  
"What are we looking at?" Rory whispered.  
Jeremy pointed again, and this time he seemed to be making an outline with the path of his fingertip. "Gemini. The constellation of the twins Castor and Pollux. Didn't used to live in such a good area for stargazing, but here? Breathtaking."  
Rory looked up at the constellation. He didn't really see anything special. "What do you mean?"  
"Light pollution. Where I'm from, the stars are much harder to see… The Fae of the Seelie Court are all too fond of lighting the world. The Fae of the Unseelie Court don't bother to appreciate beauty. Well, I mean that more about the royalty of the two courts. Me, my sister, and my dad are— we were commoners. We decided to leave after _Aba_ died, a few years ago."  
Rory frowned. "Who?"  
"Oh, sorry, that means dad, in hebrew. _Aba_ was human, but he accidentally wandered into the fae realms and my dad took pity on him. I don't remember it. Carly and I were still infants when dad and _Aba_ fell in love."  
"Awww…!"  
"Shut up, it was sappy and lame. They were insufferable."  
Rory chuckled. "Sorry."  
"Whatever. Anyway, _Aba_ died a while ago, and dad suggested we move to _this_ realm, where _Aba_ came from. The preparations took a long time. It was boring as heck, but us fae are pretty big on oaths. Hurts to break em, hurts more if someone else breaks em, but… it's always a temptation. Gives us power or something lame like that. So there was a lot of paperwork. Anyway, uh… now we're here."  


Rory didn't understand some of what Jeremy said, but it didn't seem to matter too much. He latched onto the only part of Jeremy's backstory that he had a worthwhile reaction to.  
"Benny knows a little hebrew," he said. "And Grandma Weir probably knows hebrew too."  
Jeremy considered this. "I'll remember that."

A few minutes later, Rory decided he had to sneak back home. He told his new friend, and flew back home. He was lucky enough that he didn't get caught.

Jeremy, meanwhile, slowly made his way back home. He felt a lot better than he had earlier. Rory was definitely not the kind of person he expected to trust even a little, but he realized that he trusted Rory already. He was a bit of a weirdo, sure, and definitely wasn't human, but Jeremy trusted him.  
Maybe it was because he had the tact not to mention Valentine's day. Jeremy never understood the appeal of romance, but the strange holiday made him feel isolated, which wasn't a good welcome to this weird little town.  
"Maybe things will be different here," he said aloud, to no one in particular. "Maybe it won't be so bad."


	7. Airheads (Except the airhead made his appearance in the previous chapter, and no one's going to realize how important a role he played in cheering Jeremy up)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is mostly just an epilogue.

Sarah slept in. When she woke, it was almost noon. She had stayed the night at Erica's house, but she'd insisted on sleeping on the couch.  
She heard Erica in the kitchen.  
"Erica…?" she said, the last syllable of her girlfriend's name stretching out in a yawn.  
"You sure slept in," Erica said, standing at the doorway to the kitchen.  
"We were up past 5 this morning," Sarah said, stifling another yawn.  
"Get used to it, babe," Erica said, but she was smiling. She knew Erica's voice well enough to know that she was joking. She didn't even need to see Erica's smile. She still looked, of course. It was a welcome sight.  
Sarah dozed off again a short time later.

"What'd you two say to Jem?" Carly asked Ethan and Benny the next day. She actually came to Ethan's house to speak with them. "He actually woke up in a good mood. Been years since then."  
They exchanged a glance.  
"Are you sure it was us?" Benny asked.  
Carly shrugged. "Could it be that Rory kid?"  
Ethan and Benny paused for a second before they said, in unison, "Nah."  
"Well, whoever it was, I want to meet them. I've literally never seen Jem this relaxed."  
"What's his deal anyway?"  
She hesitated for a moment. "It's not really you're business. It's only mine because we're twins. Anyway, I assume I'll see you two nerds around."

Carly actually didn't fully understand why her brother was always so uptight, although she understood the basic shape of it. They weren't just twins. They were identical twins. Identical twins are generally born the same gender. In fact, it's rare enough for identical twins to be different genders that it wouldn't be inaccurate to claim that it's considered a genetic anomaly, and that doesn't even take into account non-humans like Carly and Jeremy.  
In any case, it took a while for anyone to realize that they weren't both girls. In other words, Jeremy was trans.  
Carly didn't know the sheer scope of it, but Jeremy hated how much he looked like her. He dyed his hair blue and chose to keep his glasses when Carly started wearing contact lenses. It was painful for him to look at her sometimes. The dysphoria was often too much for him.  
Carly didn't realize that Jeremy's temper was an expression of his self-loathing, and they wouldn't end up talking it out for several months. So for now, she thought he hated her.  
And she loved him anyway. And whoever had cheered him up last night deserved an award.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't know how rare it is for identical twins to be born with different gender identities irl, but regardless of those rules, Jeremy is half-fae, so it doesn't really apply regardless.


End file.
